Trouble logging in?If you can't remember your password or are having trouble logging in, you will have to reset your password. If you have trouble resetting your password (for example, if you lost access to the original email address), please do not start posting with a new account, as this is against the forum rules. If you create a temporary account, please contact us right away via Forum Support, and send us any information you can about your original account, such as the account name and any email address that may have been associated with it.

Some quick thoughts after watching the live stream:
-Lots of emphasis on the "secret of the world", perhaps too much? That little "flashback" (or what would you call it) scene... I feel like anime-only viewers could deduce a lot from it.
-Narcolepsy at the end. At first I wasn't too keen on using it as a cliffhanger, since it wasn't that much of a "dark" plot point in the VN, but then I had a thought - what if they use it as a device to mark an iteration of the loop? That would work really damn well.

Anyway lots of plot hints in the second episode already. Another push for squeezing Refrain in 26 episodes, since I don't think they'd be hinting so much this early on otherwise.

Just to be sure: please do not make -any- mention of the "secret" sequence in the episode thread. The sequence is already "flat" on everyone face already, so any hints or comments by VN readers might give -way- too much emphasis on an already dangerous point.

Really, I don't get why they made such emphasis on the secret of the world, which was originally seen as a random statement (which is "worse" since you see Kyousuke with lennon in the early part of ep1). So instead of having some weird issues with the characters, it makes the world setting fishy to begin with (and having ALL characters shown in the flashbacks despite he only met Komari thus far is just asking for issue).

It's what people are assuming now since Komari's route was revealed to be 3 episodes.

Makes sense if you consider how the BDs are set up though, with 3 episodes each.
BD1 (eps 1-3) - common
BD2 (eps 4-6) - Komari
BD3-6 (eps 7-18) - each one for the other girls, with common spread in between
BD7 (eps 19-21) - Rin2
BD8-9 (eps 22-26) - Refrain
or something like that.

The narcolepsy bit makes a lot of sense though. (referring to the fact that it's emphasized as Riki's weakness)

I also don't see anything wrong with emphasizing the secret of the world. In my opinion it's a great hook for an anime. Admittedly, it doesn't really work well when done as the way you describe if it had been in the VN.

The evidence keeps stacking up. If it really is one season...
Well, I just hope they do it well. I understand that an Anime adaptation will never be exactly the same as the original work, but maybe they can still do something good with it, you know?
Hell, it'll give people more incentive to read the Visual Novel.

Suddenly remembered that I saw storyboard leaks posted on Baidu last month (I believe someone posted one on the general thread here a while ago as well). I ignored them back then thinking they were fake, but...

What does that last panel on the last page say? "Bad End"? Kinda looks more like "Bird End". (The other pages might be nice for the general anime thread, but I want to discuss that last panel, it's suspicious.)

I think the episode basically confirms it: This is the only season of LB were getting. Bracing myself for disappointment. And as for the panels im pretty sure that says bird end...but it might be bad engrish (or something) for bad end.

I insist one last time: do -not- even mention these as "flashbacks" at -all-. Flashbacks would mean the scenes seen are from the -past- which is a certain give away (whereas deja vu and all, are of a different nature).
To play safe, just don't even note them and let non VN reader give heads or tails about these.

I insist one last time: do -not- even mention these as "flashbacks" at -all-. Flashbacks would mean the scenes seen are from the -past- which is a certain give away (whereas deja vu and all, are of a different nature).
To play safe, just don't even note them and let non VN reader give heads or tails about these.

True. Edited the post to say episode instead of ********* .
@shiina im just going to assume nagai is shit with english and wrote bird end instead of bad end

What does that last panel on the last page say? "Bad End"? Kinda looks more like "Bird End". (The other pages might be nice for the general anime thread, but I want to discuss that last panel, it's suspicious.)

How about... Girl end? xd Naah, just thought that he was pointing the end of the chapter, just that.
Btw, those are the Storys Nagai did? D:

In my personal opinion, the special emphasis in the secret of the world. Simply was a way to hook the anime-only viewers to the series. At this point, a lot of criticism has been made about some kind of lack of significance or sustance in the actions and events that characters get involved. So, I can understand up to a point the reasons of that move.

What interested me were those routes frames in Riki's mind when he saw the message. That is evidently anime's original influence, and is somehow telling us that Riki at this point had already experienced those situations, but thinking better, Rin behaves just like the first time you play the VN, so nothing should have happened until now.
So that "continuous/omnibus format" mixture I had mentioned before, (I don't remember the thread specifically at this moment, I will search it) could explain all of this in part.

At least is interesting that they are doing original changes to develop the adaption of the plot. It brings new airs to the VN reader.

----

pd: Here I found it! I wrote this until a month or two. Don't remember it well.

Spoiler for Format Concept:

Today I saw a Facebook comment that says "guys, who do you think will be kudo kou's roommate in the anime. i'd really LMAO if its kurugaya" and made me think some stuff.

I'm thinking that JCstaff may use several story resets. Maybe this sentence can sound like normal Onmibus format, but no, I mean better mix Omnibus and Continuous format in an unique configuration story setting that even Clannad/Kyoani could not have done with same results.

Intrigued? Let me explain it.

They could start with Rin1, and as in the novel Riki will return back to the begining with the same magical message (when he faints) "You need to get stronger in order to continue". And every time Riki returns, he fall in love with another girl and runs her story, this allows him to feel pure love in each route (fact that for example, Clannad could not do, and they just developed non-protagonist female stories in a friendly way with main character), and in Rin side, she will overcome more missions (f.e: cat quest) and battles, and getting more confident.

Staff could develop the general story in each reset in partial ways, thus not be repeating the same thing over and over again (plus a better pacing of routes, and chapters saving) if not at least, events like "Kud's roommate" he pointed, could change the character involved in each new reset, and thereby exploit all options, not just one. If they do things like that, in "Baseball match" event, LB! team may lose several times until Riki (after completed all routes) and Rin, have grown enough strong to beat the match. In each new attempt they're getting closer and closer to finally win. And so, gain the right to overcome the magic barrier and then Rin2 -> Refrain.

This is interesting, because could bring new original things into the Anime, for example Riki actually might remember some things of other routes he already had surpassed in a subconscious way, or in his narcoleptic dreams, and thereby give it a more mystical feel to the story and to the new audience who doesn't know the original VN. Make them think. It's just normal loops like Omnibus format? or, is not what it actually looks?

That's what I mean with -> Omnibus and Continuous format. At the same time.

I don't even remember other anime adaptation with such setting, would be really original. LB! scenario allow to do this, fact that other VN maybe can not. Jun Maeda is just a freaking genious xd

How about... Girl end? xd Naah, just thought that he was pointing the end of the chapter, just that.
Btw, those are the Storys Nagai did? D:

I'm likely thinking about it too much, but if it says "bad end" that would be a big hint as to how JC is planning on doing things. But just me thinking too much.
And yup, Nagai's storyboards. Messier than I thought they would be!

Was just about to make a post asking what that segment meant for the continuity of the anime. That's what I was mainly referring to with "emphasis on the secret of the world" too, not that line itself but showing shots from all the routes.

The main two things I'd like to point out with your theory:
1) Staff have emphasized in interviews that they're going for friendship in the character routes rather than romance.
2) Forgive me if I'm interpreting incorrectly, but it seems like the loops would be really obvious with that set-up? Or rather not hiding the loops at all.

That's the main problem with this adaptation, I have yet to encounter an anime where the viewer isn't supposed to realize that the world is looping. It takes advantage of the visual novel structure and is near impossible to pull off in another medium. That's why I was worried about that segment in today's episode, since first-time viewers might be able to deduce something big from it. (Then again I was spoiled on the looping before I got to Refrain, and it hardly affected my enjoyment at all.)
So basically... is JC trying some different continuity with the anime, or was this just a hook that won't be addressed again and leave something of a plot hole?

So, if they're gonna show each route in a flashback kinda way, then probably there will be little to no loop shown. Probably along the way, Riki and Rin will notice that their flashbacks doesn't really add up and thus leading them to notice the secret of the world?

The problem with the flashback idea is that Rin and Riki are supposed to be much more developed than they are now. There were also shots from Rin2 in there, which means we'd be in Refrain now, which definitely isn't the case. Perhaps they're changing the loop mechanics so that Riki can revisit each girl's route multiple times, except they have yet to reach the events of the end of Rin2 until now?

I liked the rewrite of the cleaning scene and Komari joining the team. Being an anime, it's not possible to show the subtle hints we had of Rin growing each loop. From here on out, I'm going to expect a mix of fairly faithful condensed scenes and rewritten scenes to show Rin growing. Now the only question is how the anime will show Riki's growth ... We have to get at least one bad end. Unless the anime intends for this to be the final loop (which would be kind of silly but...).

It's what people are assuming now since Komari's route was revealed to be 3 episodes.

Makes sense if you consider how the BDs are set up though, with 3 episodes each.
BD1 (eps 1-3) - common
BD2 (eps 4-6) - Komari
BD3-6 (eps 7-18) - each one for the other girls, with common spread in between
BD7 (eps 19-21) - Rin2
BD8-9 (eps 22-26) - Refrain
or something like that.

If this is what they meant when Visual Arts said that the show was going to be "significantly long" then...Ffff***. Might as well begin to brace myself I guess!

I'm still not sure how the hell they're going to handle the "timeline" now that Riki suddenly remembers every route including refrain? How does that even work considering he hasn't even gone through them yet?

If this is what they meant when Visual Arts said that the show was going to be "significantly long" then...Ffff***. Might as well begin to brace myself I guess!

I'm still not sure how the hell they're going to handle the "timeline" now that Riki suddenly remembers every route including refrain? How does that even work considering he hasn't even gone through them yet?

Who's to say he's remembering anything? This is far from a traditional continuity, it could mean anything.